iMac LCD Impostors

cannonball_D writes "CNet has an article about the first (?) inevitable PC imitation LCD iMac from Gateway. The design is a step in the right direction, but I still think it has all the tell-tale signs of a cheap knock-off. " It really looks like it lacks the elegance of the apple design, but I'm all for the LCD based terminal to be available on x86.

Comments

It's an I-cow

[techmuse]

It has a remarkable resemblance to a cow. Black and white curvy patches over a white body. It fits in with Gateway's image, but lacks any of the beauty of the imac.

Re:It's an I-cow

[Lars T.]

Bwahaha.

Have you ever heard of the 20th Anniversary Mac (aka Spartacus)? Here's a nice picture and here's The 20th Anniversary Macintosh Web Site. That machine id from May 1997. Tell me about how Gateway beat them to the punch two years later.

Not as sexy.

[aussersterne]

The new G4 iMac looks like a supermodel, all curvy and slim and sleek and chic.

The Gateway looks like a 60-year-old Janitor.

I know who I'd rather "plug in".

Re:Not as sexy.

[ElOttoGrande]

>The Gateway looks like a 60-year-old Janitor.

I agree, and where's the cost savings that PC advocates go on about so much. This thing is retailing for about as much as the most expensive iMac.
Gateway ($1699) best iMac $1,799
and it has 128M less ram, 20G smaller HD, no Superdrive, no NVIDIA GeForce2 MX w/32MB DDR graphics...

I'm just another PC user (ibook drooler;) but in comparison the new iMac looks like a much better deal that this.

Thats the profile 3, not the profile 4.

[Milkyman]

THe picture they show is of the profile 3, not the new profile 4.

Large LCD screens

[perdida]

are, unfortunately, untenable in a home with children and cats in it. at least my trusty glass screen will not leak goo all over the place when slashed by the claws of an angry monitor-sitting feline.

Furthermore, where is there room for the cat on a flatscreen anyway? They have to sit in front of the screen, getting static-cling created furballs between you and what you're looking at, or behind the screen, which removes the motivation for the whole computer-cat experience in the first place, pissing off the computer user.

I don't see it

[szcx]

The Profile 3 shown in the article looks nothing like the new iMacs. Talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel. And people complain about Slashdot editors.

Hell, this makes me want to subscribe to Slashdot just to maintain the current level of editorial integrity. God forbid a shortage of funds leads them down the road of c|net banality.

Picture wrong.

[MindStalker]

The picture on the article is of the profile 3 (which they have been selling for a long time now.) The new profile 4 is going to look like an iMac, but they havn't released any pictures of it yet. And the article has very little details.

Nothing New from Gateway!

[suwalski]

Gateway actually had a PC with a monitor with a built in PC about 4 years ago (I don't think it was LCD). Anyhow, same time the iMac was coming ou,t or even before.

Take a look at Eurocom. They've had the LP260 All-in-one LCD PC for over a year now. They beat Apple to it, and I think it's a very cool design.

Point is, everyone's 'ripping' everyone elses ideas off in today's industry, to the point that you can't really have an original product without hinting other products.

SUV's

[digitalhermit]

Anyone remember when SUV's really started taking off? All the auto companies started ripping apart pickup trucks and bolting on a new chassis. The end result was a Frankensteined monstrosity that was easy to tip over, handled poorly, and had the worst traits of cars and trucks. I just took a loot at the new Gateway, and it looks like they took a laptop apart and attached it to a metal fan base. It too has the worst features of a laptop and a desktop PC (difficult/impossible to upgrade, relatively immobile, bad ergonomics, and comparatively high price tag).
Where's the design? Half the people who buy these things are looking for something that goes well with the Art Deco interior of their social convergence area.

C|Net should check their facts

[petard]

As others have noted, first off, the only similarity here appears to be that they both are all-in-ones with an LCD. The gateway doesn't appear to have any of the "bringing content-creation to the masses" focus that apple does. Moreover, though, the article states that

The Poway, Calif.-based PC maker got into the all-in-one business with its original Profile computer in June 1999 on the coattails of the first iMac. Gateway, however, did beat Apple to the punch with the first all-in-one computer to feature a flat panel.

Apple introduced the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh, which was an all-in-one with an LCD, in May 1997. Oh well... I certainly don't read C|Net for the intelligent reporting. Actually, I'm not sure why I ever click an article that's linked there :-)

You people are missing Japanese products

[kazzuya]

Forget this stuff. Check out the Vaio PCV-W101. It has TV tuner, DVD, 1280x768 LCD, 2 PCMCIA ports, i.Link, USB and what else.
Japan is filled with those products.

Knock off?????

[harlows_monkeys]

How the heck is this a knock off of the LCD iMac? The Profile 3 is an all-in-one LCD machine. The profile 4 is an all-in-one LCD machine with a slimer design. The Profile 3 was out long before the LCD iMac. If the Profile 4 is keeping the Profile 3's physical layout of having all the components housed in the same housing as the LCD, unlike the iMac's housing of everything in a separate base.

Calling this a knock off is just stupid.

20th Anniversary Mac, 5 years later

[maggard]

Actually this looks a lot more like Apple's 20th Anniversary Mac; essentially a laptop opened up with lots of built-in goodies.

Integrated custom Bose sound system with woofer/power suppply, integrated TV & FM radio system, S-Video input, and of course the little leather pads on the keyboard. Oh, and the high tech metal bracket holding it up that reportedly cost over a hundred bucks each to manufacture. Originially sold for around $10,000 then as low as $2,000. Of course for 10k it arrived a limo and was set up for you by a tech in a tux (kid you not!) A review from when it first came out is on MacWorld

Bet Gateway doesn't offer a tech in a cow suit to set theirs up...

Re:Hard to see the iMac inspiration in this one...

[fryke]

How can you say Mac OS X is more expensive and running less apps? Count again:

- Mac OS 9 software
- Mac OS X software
- X Window System software
- Command line applications

And about the price... What is Mac OS X? It's of course provided with all new macs, but if you buy it standalone, you pay 129$. What does Windows XP Professional Edition set you back? And I'm not talking OEM versions... *sigh*.

Re:Large LCD screens (and cats)

[CoolVibe]

Another thing is that cats just looove to sleep on top of CRT's because usually it's nice and warm. Also, they also like hanging their tail in front of your screen. This is their way of getting your attention other than sprawling over your keyboard and taking a nap on it.

A large LCD screen will spoil their fun. My cats would be miffed with me if I took away this source of entertainment from them.

Oh, I am digressing... Better post without +1 :)

Re:Yeah

[Jobe_br]

Maybe. I think many of the consumers of the new iMac will be ones that not only want a machine that is capable of getting work done on, but also one that looks good, so aesthetic design will play a large role for consumers of the new iMac.

From what I can tell of the picture, the Gateway model is essentially a stationary LCD screen with a motherboard tacked on back. If you check out the various videos on Apple's site, you'll hear the designer of the new iMac talk about a design just like that being tossed out the window by Jobs. To me, that's an obvious sign that aesthetics will play a large part in the market targeted by the new iMac.

Personally, having a screen that is adjustable in height, horizontal and vertical angle is actually quite useful (you can't change the landscape/portrait orientation, though). Depending on how I'm sitting at my desk any particular day (probably depending on how I slept the night before) I might want to adjust the angle of my screen. I find myself adjusting my Dell laptop's screen often, depending on how I'm sitting.

Don't forget that this new iMac is more than just aesthetics, too. Because of all its connectivity (external video, firewire, usb, gigabit ethernet, 56k modem, etc.) its also meant to coexist peacefully and productively with all your external devices. Same goes for the software installed: iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, and iTools (online). Gateway can't counter that and I think that's a very important distinguishing characteristic.

Re:What's the startup sound?

[dead_penguin]

What sound does this Gateway computer make in place of the Mac "bong"?

I've never seen a case mod that turned a Mac into something like *that*, but given the alternative image that Apple occasionally tries to follow I wouldn't be surprised if someone went and did this.

Startup sound in that case? Definitely a gurgle!

Why it's not an iMac

[maggard]

The coolest thing about the new iMac isn't that it's an LCD, its how it's mounted. Not on a big box but a smallish base, at eye height, with an infinitely flexible yet stable arm, surrounded by a nice frame.

Let Jonathan Ive (its designer) go on about how "we wanted the user to violate the sacred plane of the monitor": Better put is it works. Around that high quality (though only 1024x768) perfectly poised LCD display is a frame that lets you casually reach out, grab it, adjust it, swing it about to share with someone else, nudge when you change position.

Just plain flat out unconsciously interact with the Display without needing to fight it or worry about smudging or getting any thing wrong.

That's AWESOME. You don't know how incredible until you've use it; afterwards everything else just sux. A display that fits folks, not the other way around, something Apple gets and the rest of the industry hasn't (nor likely will Gateway if their past is any guide.)

Sure it may look like a "Sunflower", or more like a desk lamp or a face mirror. On the other hand those two are great examples of good design - they're popular because they work and just like they the new iMac screen is adept at putting light right where you want it, in your eyes, from whatever angle you're comfortable with. And if that kinda brilliant design isn't nerdly or butch enough for ya then go back to chipping with rocks 'cause once again Apple has raised the bar for PC design and once folks get a taste they're not going to accept the 2nd rate layouts, hear that Gateway?